1. statistik.atSeite 1 Norbert Rainer Quality Reporting and Quality Indicators for Statistical Business Registers European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics Rome, 8 - 11 July 2008 Special topic session 21

2. statistik.atSeite 2  Background and motivation  Character of a statistical business register  Some criteria for quality indicators  Example Accuracy  Concluding remarks Overview

3. statistik.atSeite 3  Article 6 of the new BR – Regulation ( OJ L61, 5.3.2008, p. 6-16): Quality standards and reports (1) MS take all measures to ensure the quality of the BR (2)MS provide to the Commission (Eurostat) with a report on the quality of the BR (3) Details of the quality report to be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny (4) MS inform the Commission (Eurostat) on major changes affecting the quality of the BR Background and motivation (1)

4. statistik.atSeite 4  Eurostat Business register unit: -BR annual inquiry: included earlier few pilot questions on quality -BR Recommendations Manual: Chapter 10 Quality Policy describes the quality dimensions (one additional: completeness) explains causes of quality defects reviews instruments of quality measurement outlines quality improvement strategies gives examples of quality indicators Background and motivation (2)

5. statistik.atSeite 5  Eurostat: development of standard quality indicators -The standard quality indicators: Background and motivation (3)

6. statistik.atSeite 6 Background and motivation (4) Source: Doc.ESTAT/02/Quality/2005/9/Quality indicators

7. statistik.atSeite 7 Background and motivation (5) - The ESS Guidelines for quality reports (draft version 2) With respect to quality indicators a distinction is made between the following six categories of statistics: Sample surveys Censuses Statistics derived from administrative sources Surveys involving data from multiple sources Price indices Statistical compilations Source: Doc.ESTAT/DDG-02/Quality/2008/05aa

8. statistik.atSeite 8 Character of a statistical BR (1) Sample surveys Censuses Statistics derived from administrative sources Surveys involving data from multiple sources Price indices Statistical compilations not a sample at all and no survey intention of full coverage, but not a survey administrative sources are used, but a database multiple sources may be used, but a database not any similarities Categories of statistics Statistical Business register Statistical registers

9. statistik.atSeite 9  BR is an instrument for conducting surveys  BR provides links to administrative sources  BR is a statistical database of longitudinal and cross- sectional character  BR is a statistical product to which the quality dimensions Relevance Accuracy Timeliness and punctuality Accessibility and clarity Comparability and coherence do also apply Character of a statistical BR (2)

10. statistik.atSeite 10  Quality indicators should be based on straightforward concepts so that international comparability could be achieved  Quality indicators should primarily refer to the quality of the statistical BR, not to the quality of the applied administrative data / register  Quality indicators should be selected and designed with a view to the main uses of the statistical BR  Quality indicators should not be restricted to certain quality measurement instruments Some criteria for quality indicators (1)

11. statistik.atSeite 11  A set of few, but significant indicators seems more appropriate than a long list of indicators  However, certain differentiations (especially with a view to accuracy or timeliness) need to be made in order to take into account the “weight” for the overall quality assessment, e.g.: kind of units size classes whether sample unit or not level of classification Some criteria for quality indicators (2)

12. statistik.atSeite 12 Example: Accuracy CoverageMeasures of under / over coverage Measures of falsely active units Measures of duplicates CompletenessMeasures of missing values of key variables DeliverabilityMeasures of quality of address data SamplingMeasures of quality of activity coding Measures of quality of other classification coding Measures of quality of size class coding Other processing aspects of Measures of wrong links to administrative data Measures of wrong unit structures etc.

13. statistik.atSeite 13  Statistical registers are statistical instruments but also a statistics category of its own  Quality reporting guidelines should take this into account explicitly  Many countries have already produced quality indicators for their BR Concluding remarks

14. statistik.atSeite 14 THE END Thank you for your attention !